More protection for the public and patients has become the focus of flagship legislation on mental health.

The Mental Health Bill has been published by health minister Rosie Winterton and Home Office minister Gerry Sutcliffe, and will introduce supervised treatment in the community for people with mental health problems.

It is hoped the Bill - if made law - could ensure patients comply with treatment when they are discharged from hospital and enable action to be taken to prevent relapse.

The Bill also gives new rights and extra protection to people who are unable to decide about their care and who may be unfairly deprived of their liberty.

These new safeguards will affect about 5,000 people who have a serious mental disorder but up until now have not been covered by existing mental health laws.

Rosie Winterton said: "We want people to get the right treatment at the right time.

"We want to improve the safety of both patients and the public. This Bill will help ensure that people with serious mental health problems receive the treatment they need to protect them and others from harm.

"We are already modernising services, and the Bill is a key part of our strategy to reform and improve mental health care. It will update the law to reflect the way mental healthcare is provided in today's NHS."